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Biomedical subjects

M M Mehta

Publications and source records attributed to M M Mehta.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

The enhancement of riboflavin-mediated photo-oxidation of doxorubicin by histidine and urocanic acid.

PURPOSE: Previously we have shown that doxorubicin (Adriamycin, ADR) can be inactivated by light-excited riboflavin. The inactivation of the drug results from its direct oxidation by the excited triplet riboflavin in a type I photosensitization reaction, and 3-methoxysalicyclic acid is an ADR breakdown product. In the present study, we investigated the enhancement of this process by histidine and some other imidazole analogs. METHODS: ADR solutions containing various concentrations of riboflavin and other agents were exposed to 365 nm light for various time periods and then the absorbance spectrum of ADR was measured by a double beam spectrophotometer. These measurement were used to calculate the half-time of the ADR degradation process. The degraded ADR solutions were analyzed by HPLC. RESULTS: The rate of bleaching of ADR by light-excited riboflavin was enhanced in the presence of histidine in a concentration-dependent manner. This enhancement was more pronounced at higher riboflavin concentrations. Histidine also enhanced the riboflavin-mediated photobleaching of N,N-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO), a compound known to be resistant to oxidation by singlet oxygen but sensitive to oxidation by the trans-annular peroxide of histidine. RNO was found to block the histidine enhancement of the riboflavin-mediated photobleaching of ADR in a competitive manner. Among the imidazole analogs of histidine tested, urocanic acid was found to be the most efficient enhancer of the riboflavin-mediated photobleaching of ADR. Superoxide anion radicals which retard the oxidation of ADR were quenched by urocanic acid but not by histidine. It was shown that the oxidation of ADR by the trans-annular peroxide of histidine resulted in the formation of 3-methoxysalicylic acid. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to singlet oxygen, the trans-annular peroxide, formed by the interaction of histidine and the singlet oxygen produced by photoexcited riboflavin, is an efficient oxidizer of ADR. The enhancement of the riboflavin-mediated photobleaching of ADR by histidine analogs depends on the rate of their conversion to a trans-annular peroxide and on the efficiency of these products in oxidizing ADR. However, for some analogs of histidine, as shown for urocanic acid, other mechanisms could also be involved. The presence of urocanic acid in the skin suggests that significant degradation of ADR could occur in the presence of biologically relevant concentrations of riboflavin if patients treated with ADR are exposed to sunlight. The finding that histidine also enhanced the degradation of ADR to 3-methoxysalicylic acid, suggests that the process of ADR oxidation by the trans-annular peroxides is similar to the direct oxidation of ADR by excited triplet riboflavin.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗

The riboflavin-mediated photooxidation of doxorubicin.

PURPOSE: Previously, it was shown that exposing doxorubicin (ADR) to 365 nm light resulted in the loss of its cytotoxic activity as well as its absorbance at 480 nm. These processes were much enhanced when mediated by riboflavin. In the present study we investigated the quantitative and qualitative aspects of riboflavin-mediated photodegradation of ADR. METHODS: ADR solutions containing variable concentrations of riboflavin and other agents were exposed to 365 nm light for variable time periods and then the absorbance spectrum of ADR was measured by a double beam spectrophotometer. These measurements were used to calculate the half-time of the ADR degradation process. The degraded ADR solutions were analyzed by chromatography and mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Analysis of the riboflavin effect indicated that a maximal rate of photolytic degradation of ADR was obtained only after most of the ADR molecules had formed bimolecular complexes with riboflavin. The retardation of lumichrome formation by ADR and the inhibition of ADR bleaching by excess of ascorbic acid suggested that ADR was degraded by a photooxidation process. Similar spectral changes occurred when ADR was exposed to strong oxidizers such as sodium hypochlorite and dipotassium hexachloroiridate. Cyclic voltammetry revealed that the oxidation-reduction process of ADR was not electrochemically reversible and therefore the oxidation potential could not be determined accurately; however its value should be between 0.23 and 0.78 V. Analysis of the photooxidative process revealed that it was not mediated by the formation of singlet oxygen, superoxide anion radicals, hydrogen peroxide or hydroxyl radicals, and it is suggested that ADR was oxidized directly by the excited triplet riboflavin. The mass spectrograms and the HPLC chromatograms of photooxidized ADR indicate that the central ring of ADR was opened and that 3-methoxysalicylic acid was produced by this cleavage. CONCLUSIONS: The riboflavin-mediated photodegradation of ADR is an oxidative process resulting in the cleavage of the anthraquinone moiety. 3-Methoxysalicylic acid was identified as one of the resulting fragments. It is possible that some of the large fractions of the ADR metabolites that are non-fluorescent are the result of an in vivo oxidation of ADR and that 3-methoxysalicylic acid may play a role in the different biological activities of ADR.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗

Immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies on poly-L-lysine coated slides: an alternative to conventional methods.

It is sometimes difficult to perform immunofluorescence tests because of low cell numbers. Therefore a simple method using poly-L-lysine coated slides was applied to immunofluorescence and compared with the routine suspension method. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal persons, samples of normal bone marrow, thymus and tonsil as well as samples from patients with leukemia or lymphoma were tested with these two methods using 20 different monoclonal antibodies. The PLL-slide method was shown to be comparable with the suspension method and is an alternative in case of low cell numbers, since as few as 3 X 10(4) cells can be tested for one antigen.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

HLA antigens and E-rosettes in tetanus patients.

One-hundred-and-fifty-four tetanus patients and 118 normal persons were typed for 27 HLA antigens of A and B loci. There was no significant difference in the frequency of any of these antigens between the normal controls and the tetanus patients. Classification of the patients into mild, moderate and severe also did not show any significant deviation in the frequency of HLA antigens from the controls. Percentage E-rosettes in normal individuals showed lower values among a low socioeconomic group. The values for E-rosettes among tetanus patients were similar to those observed in low socioeconomic normal individuals. The distribution of ABO and Rho (D) groups among the tetanus patients were not significantly different from the frequencies in the normal population.

Blood Donors↗